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Saturday, September 19, 2015

"To Do" List

The low cloud cover made for a humid morning but was impressive to look at. At least the temperature was reasonably comfortable.

Visit #973, Saturday 19 September 15, 7:45-11:05AM, 7.2 miles.

Temps in the low 70's, overcast with moderate humidity, expecting to clear up in the afternoon.

This is the third consecutive week I've walked the road from Hubbard Park up to East/West Peak, as I spend the majority of my time on the trails. But I had a list of things to accomplish and the road was the path to completion.

Shortly after I began walking up the road I had a brief interruption-

-get it; "brief"?! Such sophisticated humor... But seriously, how many of you have tossed a pair of underwear out your car window and onto the road? I'm sure there's a story behind (get it, "behind"?!) them but I guess we'll never know it.

To Do #1 was a tree which had fallen and was hanging low, extending into the roadway up to East/West Peak. It was actually lower to the ground than the photo depicts.

I took the bow saw to it. It took all of 4 minutes to drop it to the ground but it was too heavy to move. Two more cuts enabled me to clear it properly. Total time, 10 minutes. You can see the two cut ends in the lower left of the photo.

Almost reaching the fork to East/West Peak, I found this empty multi-gallon jug of spring water. It would fill my bag so I had to leave it at the concrete blocks.

I proceeded to my next To Do activity but I can't tell you what it was because it is classified. I only tell you it was my next To Do activity so it would help fill out the title of this week's post!

Anyway, I walked to Castle Craig and cleaned up the parking lot and surrounding area. Due to time constraints I wasn't as thorough as I'd like but something is better than nothing.

While cleaning up the area, I noticed the aluminum flagpole. Prior to that flagpole, the city of Meriden had a habit of using fiberglass flagpoles. One of the previous fiberglass incarnations was turned into swiss cheese by lightning. I know this because I carried the broken flagpole in pieces back down to the Hubbard Park maintenance facility. I also wrote an editorial to the local newspaper then suggesting future flagpoles be metal and properly ground or the city could expect more swiss cheese. I can't say whether the current flagpole is the result of my suggestion, or whether it's currently properly grounded. Time will tell.

By the time I returned to the fork in the road, I had enough trash to drop off a second bag.

Next I traveled to West Peak and my last To Do item, which I CAN tell you about. Last week I told you I discovered a second gate which I found unsecured, a gate that surrounds the radio towers. After reporting to the Meriden Parks Department that I found the first gate open, they secured it with tyraps. Well, what's good enough for them is good enough for me. I think I spent more on tyraps than they did, however.

I did cut off the loose ends when I was done. If these are quickly breached, I have a Plan B, using the Arnold Schwarzenegger TyRapⓡ.

Just after I completed securing the gate, I turned around and was confronted by a group of jihadists plotting a massacre in Meriden.

Not to worry; I disarmed them with a sharp glance .

Seriously, they were filming a movie called, The Outbreak. Says so right here:

As I hiked back to the park via the Blue Trail, I found something I had to ADD to my so briefly completed To Do list.

This tree has fallen and needs to be cut out of the trail. Even my sharp glance would be no match for it, so I'll return next week with the chainsaw.

Back at the park, there was a Soap Box Derby competition in progress.

By the time I deposited my last bag of trash, the morning fog had lifted.